FARGO — North Dakota State’s dream of getting an invitation to a Football Bowl Subdivision conference got some more online buzz recently. This was thanks to a Mountain West Conference-centric podcast that claimed the Bison were in discussions to join the league and to a local interview NDSU athletic director Matt Larsen had with Dom Izzo of WDAY-TV.
First things first. A reliable MWC source continues to tell the Tip Sheet that the league isn’t talking with any schools at the present time or over the last few months. That would contradict what the Big Mountain Podcast said in a recent post: “Conversations are continuing with North Dakota State and the Mountain West.”
While the Tip Sheet continues to dearly wish that was the case, there continues to be no evidence.
The other (apparently) buzzworthy item was generated off Izzo’s program “Hot Mic.” In an interview with Larsen covering a number of topics, Izzo asked the AD whether there was anything new on an NDSU move from its current place in the Football Championship Subdivision to the higher-level FBS.
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After first telling Izzo that the Mountain West has “not called (NDSU President) Dr. (David) Cook or me,” Larsen gave what was his strongest public endorsement of an FBS move to date.
“I would say in terms of our position, I think both myself and President Cook, we want to play at the highest level. And right now, the highest level is FBS football,” Larsen said, possibly the first time he has said out loud what he’s only hinted very strongly at publicly in the past.
As he has done numerous times, Larsen said NDSU has taken steps over the last 10 years or so to be ready if a call ever comes.
“I think the things we’ve done over the past decade have positioned us to be able to do that. And if there’s an opportunity, I think it’s something we’d absolutely explore. If there’s not an opportunity, we’re poised to continue competing at FCS at a really, really high level and compete for championships,” Larsen said. “So, I would say in terms of our position, it hasn’t changed at all. And our interest of at least exploring that is as strong as it’s ever been.”
Larsen’s comments were picked up and aggregated into articles by writers from the popular Football Scoop website and Nevada Sports Net, which closely covers the Mountain West, even if the only newsy item seemed to be the definitive comment about wanting to play in FBS.
Since the Tip Sheet has been reporting on (and advocating for) an NDSU move to FBS for six years, Larsen’s comments didn’t seem earth-shattering. Instead, the Sheet has been focused on another angle to a potential move.
If the moonshot did happen and the Mountain West did call NDSU with an invite, how many media dollars would the Bison need to make the move financially viable?
Part of the attraction of an FBS move would be money NDSU would receive from a conference’s media rights contract. Mountain West members in 2025-26, for example, receive about $3.5 million each from the league’s contract with FOX and CBS. NDSU receives substantially less from its local TV contract with Forum Communications Co. (owner of The Forum and WDAY-TV).
The MWC’s TV deal expires at the end of June and the league has yet to announce a new deal, despite rumors it was going to happen soon. With five schools bolting the MWC for the rebuilt Pac-12 Conference and being replaced by other, lesser brands like Northern Illinois and Texas-El Paso, there is much anticipation about what the new TV contract is going to look like and how much cash each school will receive.
While the MWC has promised contractually to make a real-faith effort to get as close to $3.5 million per school as possible by any means necessary, it is unlikely that a new TV deal will be as large as the old one.
Wyoming, for example, in its annual budget request to the state legislature has asked for $1 million to cover a projected shortfall in its media rights deal “as a result of changes in conference membership.” That would put annual media money at $2.5 million, a hefty cut for already-stressed MWC schools.
A map of the Mountain West Conference’s current football programs, which will change later this year. MWC graphic
MWC graphic
A Tip Sheet source in the Mountain West said there’s a possibility the media money will be substantially less than $3.5 million per school, raising the specter of each school receiving $1 million or less.
It’s unlikely the conference will include dollar figures in any announcement of a new media deal unless the numbers are larger than the last contract. It’ll be a “tell” if the league doesn’t give a dollar figure.
The question for NDSU is what’s an acceptable amount from a TV contract? How much would they need to make a move to FBS work, even if it was football-only? Costs would increase substantially for coaching salaries, scholarships, recruiting and other things.
Could NDSU make a move if media money was $2 million? Or $1 million? Or $500,000?
While any jump to an FBS league is seemingly a long way off, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Mountain West’s new TV deal whenever it is announced. Some good reporter will obtain the dollar figures and then we’ll know more about the league and NDSU’s potential membership in it.
North Dakota State womens basketball head coach Jory Collins reacts to a basket during play against North Dakota on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024, at the Scheels Center.
David Samson/The Forum
Why aren’t Bison women ranked?
The Tip Sheet has a well-known disdain for polls, especially the Football Championship Subdivision Top 25. Too many voters live in a silo, don’t watch games other than those of the team they cover (or cheer for), aren’t informed. Too many blatant homers. So the mantra has always been: Polls don’t matter. ‘Tis the truth.
But the latest Associated Press college women’s basketball poll cannot stand without comment.
Princeton of the Ivy League is No. 19 in the latest rankings. The Tigers have an impressive resume. As of Wednesday, Jan. 28, they are 17-1 and have won 15 straight games; their NET computer ranking is 40th; they have a 1-1 record against Quad 1 (high quality) teams; and are ranked No. 1 in the mid-major poll of teams outside of power conferences.
North Dakota State of the Summit League is unranked and did not receive any votes in the latest poll after receiving one vote two weeks ago. The Bison are 18-2 and have won 16 straight games; their NET ranking is 43rd; they have a 1-1 record against Quad 1 teams; and are ranked No. 2 in the mid-major poll.
Almost exactly the same resumes, not nearly the same ranking.
Yes, the Ivy League is stronger than the Summit League (which has Omaha and North Dakota ranked in the bottom 31 in all of 363 Division I women’s basketball teams) but is it that much stronger that Princeton can be 19th and NDSU doesn’t even receive a vote?
Three words: EAST COAST BIAS!
Four more words: Polls still don’t matter.
North Dakota State’s Avery Koenen heads to the basket to make a shot against South Dakota’s Elise Turrubiates on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026, at Scheels Center at the Sanford Health Athletic Complex in Fargo.
Anna Paige / The Forum
Something that probably won’t happen, but if it does I’ll look like a genius:
— NDSU’s women’s basketball team will run the table in the Summit League and finish 16-0. (Remember the Sheet correctly predicted the Bison would beat South Dakota State this season for the first time since 2015).
Former North Dakota State and Alabama basketball player Grant Nelson, who is originally from Devils Lake, North Dakota, is currently playing for the Long Island Nets of the NBA’s G-League. Long Island is the G-League affiliate of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets.
Contributed / Long Island Nets
North Dakota native and former Bison star Grant Nelson is tearing up the NBA’s development G-League in limited minutes for the Long Island Nets (Brooklyn’s affiliate) and there is some talk of him being promoted to a two-way contract that would allow Nelson to play some games with the big club, but the Nets might be happy with Nelson continuing to play increasing minutes and developing with the minor-league team the whole season. … Tim Polasek’s new contract still isn’t finished and signed as the NDSU head football coach’s agent and the school are dickering over some “minor” items. … Switching the NDSU-South Dakota State and North Dakota-South Dakota women’s basketball games from Thursday, Feb. 26, to Wednesday, Feb. 25, had been talked about since before the season but not all coaches involved were on board until recently so the announcement didn’t come until this week. … There is some angst in the Summit League over the USD men’s basketball team adding two players in early January. … Vanderbilt is paying former NDSU left tackle Beau Johnson more than $750,000 in NIL.
North Dakota State’s Elle Evans battles inside with Minnesota’s Sophie Hart in the WNIT basketball tournament at Williams Arena in Minneapolis on March 29, 2024.
Craig Lassig / Special to The Forum
Former NDSU women’s basketball player Elle Evans, now at Kansas, leads Division I women’s basketball in 3-point percentage at 51%. … Bison junior Avery Koenen is tied for first in D1 in double-doubles (double figures in two statistical categories in one game) with 15. She is averaging 18.9 points and 11.2 rebounds. … Koenen is also fourth in field goal percentage nationally at 64% and eighth in rebounds per game at 11.2. … Former South Dakota State quarterback Mark Gronowski, who played his final collegiate season at Iowa, was one of the standouts in the East-West Shrine Game practices this week. Ex-Bison quarterback Cam Miller used a great performance at the Shrine Game to catapult himself into a sixth-round NFL Draft choice. … Former Bison men’s basketball star Jacari White, who transferred to Virginia, broke his left wrist on a dunk in early January and had to have surgery. He still doesn’t have full movement and is working his way back for the 17th-ranked Cavaliers. White played 6 minutes and didn’t score Tuesday in Virginia’s overtime win against Notre Dame. He’s shooting 47% from 3-point range in 15 games off the bench. … Former Bison and Summit League Sixth Man of the Year Tajavis Miller is averaging 17 minutes per game and 6.3 points for New Mexico.